SAN ANTONIO — After a two-hour rain delay, the St. Mary's University Softball team dropped a heartbreaker, 4-3 to #24 Angelo State on Sunday evening.
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The game, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. was in the middle of the National Anthem when the skies opened and sent the teams scrambling for cover. The contest resumed at 6:19 p.m. and junior pitcher
Madeline Bloom (Poway, Calif.) went right to work, retiring the side in order in the first.
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The Rattlers (18-13, 13-6 Lone Star Conference) used the speed game to get the early lead as senior
Lauren Gonzales (San Antonio) walked to start things. She stole second, hustled to third on a groundout by senior
Mackenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig, Texas) and scored on a hotshot single to third base off the bat of sophomore
Raegan Tennill (Corpus Christi, Texas).
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Freshman
Gabriela Banda (San Antonio) singled up the middle with one out in the second inning. She moved to third when junior
Jadyn Abrego (San Antonio) blasted a double to right-center and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior
Lauryn Ramos (Marion, Texas) for the 2-0 advantage.
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With one out in the fourth inning, senior
Ericka Gomez (Stafford, Texas) singled to left-center. With two outs, Abrego was hit by a pitch and Gomez scampered home on a single to left by Ramos for the 3-0 lead.
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The Rambelles (23-9, 14-8 Lone Star) scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth to knot the score at 3-3.
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In the seventh, a controversial call was made by the umpiring crew when leadoff batter Ashley Dirner was originally called out at first base after hitting the ball to third base. ASU coach Travis Scott questioned the call and when the crew got together the out call was reversed, saying Banda had pulled her foot off the bag. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a groundout, scoring on a single to left for the winning run.
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Bloom pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with three walks and one strikeout in a no decision. Junior
Savannah Youngblood (Kingwood, Texas) was tagged with only her second loss of the season (6-2) after the unearned run scored in the seventh. She pitched 1 2/3 innings, surrendering only one hit.
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The two teams meet on the diamond on Monday for a doubleheader. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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